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Review and Herald, Vol. 54, No. 14.

GOD WEIGHS OUR THOUGHTS

Review and Herald

Sep 25, 1879

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 25, 1879

GOD WEIGHS OUR THOUGHTS.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

BY ELD. D. M. CANRIGHT.
TEXT: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Prov. 4:23.
THE language of this text relates to the thoughts and purposes of our hearts. It is not simply the outward man, the way we appear to others, that determines whether we are Christians; but it is the heart, the inward man. “Keep thy heart with all diligence.” This intimates that it is a difficult task, that it will require a great struggle to keep it,—that we will have to guard it as nothing else; “for out of it are the issues of life.”
In Gen. 16:13, I read like this: “And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God seest me.” Go back to the record, and you will find that Hagar had become discouraged, and that the Lord spoke to her with an audible voice when she least expected it. She was so surprised that she broke out in the exclamation, “Thou God seest me.” Then she gave the reason: “Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?” Hagar believed that the Lord heard and knew all that was said, but she did not realize it until he spoke to her. She was then forcibly impressed with the thought, “Thou God seest me.” Not a sparrow falls to the ground without his notice. Jesus says the very hairs of our heads are numbered. This seems incredible; but when we think that he is an infinite God, we can realize that it is not impossible.
When the Christian withdraws from the busy world to hold secret communion with God in prayer, how comforting the thought that his eye is ever upon us, and that his ear is open to our cries. We are thus instructed in his blessed word: “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” Matt. 6:6.
He not only sees us and hears us, but he knows the very intents of the heart. In 1 Sam. 16:7, we read “that the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”
We see a stranger passing along. He is well dressed, comely, attractive, and gentlemanly in his manners. Yet in his heart he may be fearfully corrupt. God does not judge by the outward appearance; he looks into the deepest recesses of the heart. Yes, every thought of my heart, every thought of your heart, is laid open before God. We have before us a machine. The man who made it knows everything about it. If the machinery is out of order, he can take it apart and immediately point out the difficulty. We could not do that. We can judge of the inside works only by the outward appearance. The Lord, having created us, knows all about us.
In 1 Chron. 28:9, we read: “And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts.” This is the language of David to his son, and very solemn words they are. I have observed with regard to myself, that, however careful of my thoughts, I sometimes find them running away just like a machine without a balance wheel, imagining this or that, laying this plan, forming that scheme,—musings that I would not dare to utter aloud. God understandeth all the imaginations,—God knows every one of these loose, random thoughts that crowd themselves upon our minds.
Jesus himself knew the hearts of men while on earth. Matt. 9:4, says, “And Jesus knowing their thoughts said,” etc. You remember the case. A man sick with the palsy was brought to him, and Jesus said, “Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.” When the people saw this, they said within themselves, “This man blasphemeth.” Although their lips did not move, Christ discerned their thoughts, and said, “Why think ye evil in your hearts?” This was the very thing that convinced them that he was Christ. My brother, the same Jesus that was on earth then lives to-night, and he knows all our hearts.
In Psalm 139 this thought is also expressed. “O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising; thou understandest my thought afar off.” Dear friends, these are solemn words. May God help us to lay them to heart. When you sit down to the table, and when you lie down at night, think of it. “Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising.” When you rise in the morning, remember that God’s eye is upon you. “Thou understandest my thought afar off.” The thoughts of to-day, the thoughts you had yesterday, God understands them all. “Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Call up the words you spoke yesterday; God knows every one of them. “Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.” Ps. 139:1–12.
If even some great and good man like John Wesley were continually with us and knew all we said, would we not be more careful than we are of our words? But the great God not only sees us and hears the words we utter, but he understands the secret motives of every heart. It is not simply to cease wrangling, swearing, drinking, and smoking, that constitutes a Christian. No, no. God hates all unholy, corrupt thoughts, and hence he requires us to put them all away as we endeavor to live a Christian life. We watch the hands of a clock, and tell by their movements whether all within is right. The hands are only the outward manifestations of what is on the inside. Just so with our words and actions. They are the blossoms, the fruit, the thoroughly ripe grain that is borne from the root out of sight.
Let me read the words of our Saviour. “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders.” Mark 7:21. How do we judge of this or that brother? By his actions, his outward appearance. But God looks back of these, down into the fountain from which they spring. “Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts.” Brethren, a man may have his heart full of evil thoughts, yet he may hide them in a measure from his neighbors, and even from his own family. Some of you may say, “Well, if I do not speak out what I think, if I do not act out my thoughts, it is not so bad.” If a respected friend were near you, would you dare to act out these thoughts? By no means. But remember that the Lord regards the thought and the action alike sinful. “For from within, out of the heart, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders.” Thought comes first, action follows. The thought is just as criminal in the sight of God as the action. Take the case of the murderer. He does not commit the deed without premeditation. A man has a grudge against his neighbor; he thinks of it, turns it over and over, dreams of it, becomes excited, and finally so exasperated that in an unguarded moment the murder is committed. John says that “he that hateth his brother is a murderer.” So in regard to stealing. First, the person sees something that he desires to possess. He thinks it a terrible thing to steal; but he indulges in covetous thoughts until this conviction of wrong doing wears away, and he commits the theft. The thought is first, the outward act second. “Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” Mark 7:20–23.
We see pride, foolishness, and other corrupting influences coming among our own people. A love of show is displayed among the sisters, on their hats, their fingers, and their dress generally. What does all this mean? It is the outward sign of pride growing in the heart. One may make a profession as high as heaven, but when we see these things we know the conversion is not genuine. We need enough good religion to take all this vanity out of our hearts, and to put it far from us.
Jude says, of a corrupt class that should exist in the last days: “Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.” There are those who have cherished such low, vulgar, lascivious thoughts that their very dreams are corrupted. They retire to sleep at night, yet so corrupt are their hearts that their dreams are defiled. There needs to be something done in such a case more than an outward work. Nothing but the Spirit of God can cleanse the sin-polluted soul.
Once more, in Prov. 24:9 we read that “the thought of foolishness is sin.” We have no right to indulge in these low, vulgar thoughts, because they lead to corresponding actions. Here is another text: “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” In Gen. 6:5, we read, of the antediluvians, “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” It was not simply the words and actions of the people that condemned the world and caused its destruction by a flood; but it was their wicked thoughts also.
These things demand our serious consideration. Young friend, what are your thoughts? What are your imaginations? Do you allow your minds to entertain corrupt thoughts? It was such sins, as I said before, that brought the deluge upon the old world.
In Jer. 6:19 we read: “Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it.” “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.” Ps. 10:4. How is it with us? Is God in all our thoughts? Again, we read that “the thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord; but the words of the pure are pleasant words.” Prov. 15:26. What are our thoughts? Have our minds been accustomed to dwell upon low, vulgar, foolish things, or have they been upon God, and Christ, and Heaven, and the law of God?
In the first Psalm the Lord describes a righteous man thus: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”
What is it to be converted? It is not simply to stop swearing, stop cheating your neighbor, refrain from the outward act of adultery; but it is to put away the very desire of these things. And the man who has not done this is not a converted man.
In Isa. 55:7 it is said: “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” Unless this is done,—unless the wicked forsakes his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, he will never get into the kingdom of God. The fountain must be pure, or what springs from it cannot be pure. The heart and thoughts must be pure.
I read again, from 2 Cor. 10:5: “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” I tell you, dear friends, it is a great thing to be a Christian, to be born again and have the Spirit of God begotten in us. When that comes in and takes full possession of the heart, all foolish, selfish, wicked thoughts and imaginations will be driven from the mind.
Now, dear brethren, you who are seeking God, will you not let Jesus come in? In Rev. 3:20 we read: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Do you wonder why the Spirit of God does not take up its abode in your heart? My brother, pause and consider what you are cherishing there. The blessed God will never send his Spirit into a heart that is full of foolishness and corruption. The rubbish must all be cleared away from the door, and the heart must be emptied, swept and garnished before the Lord will come in. The Spirit of God is holy, undefiled and pure; it hates sin, and can make no compromise with unrighteousness. You may pray and plead unceasingly; but the Spirit of God can never enter your hearts as long as these things are there. If any of you find yourselves weak, and unable to banish these internal foes, let me say from experience that the only way to successfully accomplish the work is to seek the Lord earnestly for his especial help, and become thoroughly converted to him. He will never turn away indifferent to your entreaties, but will enter your hearts and abide there if you will only prepare the way for him.
God knows every word that comes from our lips. “For there is not a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.” Ps. 139:4.
When I was once lecturing in Michigan, I went one day to call on a man who had become much interested in the meetings. He was out hitching up his team, and I came near to him before he saw me. He was swearing furiously, and seemed very angry at his horses. Finally he looked around and saw me. What did he do? He stuttered, and stammered, and blushed, and began to make an apology for his rough talking. Why? A minister of God was there. He stopped short, and did not speak another angry word all the time I was there. He never once thought that God had been hearing him. But God did hear, and recorded those wicked words against him.
When I was out West I saw one of Mr. Edison’s wonderful phonographs. We tried it. There is a cylinder with a little tin-foil upon it. You speak into a tube, and the sound produces the vibration of a small needle which makes indentations on this tin-foil. The cylinder is turned back from where it started, a crank is turned, and the former sound is reproduced. Every modification of the voice, every intonation, whether it be loud or soft, is faithfully reproduced. Some one whistled into it, and the whistle came out just as it went in. Others sang into it, and the same sound was reproduced. Well, thought I, if man can invent a machine that can reproduce the very identical words that are spoken into it, what can the infinite God do? Surely he has means by which every thought, word, action, and deed can be faithfully reproduced before us in the Judgment. I said, then and there, God helping me I will guard my words and actions more carefully than ever before.
You know that Christ says that for every idle word a man utters he will have to give an account. David says, in Ps. 19:14: “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.” Dear young friends, are your thoughts acceptable in the sight of God? Are your words and meditations such as will exalt God in your mind and bring peace into your heart?
Peter says, “Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness.” 2 Peter 3:11. Brethren, is your conversation holy? When you are at the table with your family, out in the field with your boys, in company with those wicked, ungodly men, is your conversation what it should be? Do you laugh and jest, or do you talk of the truth, and God’s love for a fallen world? Oh, how the Spirit of God must be grieved when we indulge in foolish, vulgar conversation. Then, again, the angels of God are constantly watching over us to guard us. Who are these angels? They are pure and holy beings. When a pious young lady comes into the society of wicked men, how soon profanity and vulgarity are put away. But, my friends, the angels of God are clothed in spotless purity, far exceeding any earthly being. Oh, how it must grieve them when an unholy word is spoken.
In Eph. 5:3, 4, the Spirit of God says: “But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient; but rather giving of thanks.” My friends, how can you indulge in this low, chaffy talk and jesting? When you do this and then get down upon your knees and pray, “O God, bless me and come into my heart,” it is no wonder that Heaven seems far away, that your hearts are empty and you have no light from God. Again, we have no time for such idle conversation. Time is too short for this. God will require an account of the time we have squandered away in this manner.
When you go into the field to work, wherever you are, remember that you are redeemed by the blood of Christ; remember that the stamp of Heaven is upon you; remember that Heaven is the home you are seeking; remember that God says, “Be ye holy.”
Now I quote my last text: “But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of Judgment.” Matt. 12:36. These are most solemn words. Oh, what an account some men will have to render in the day of God. I feel very anxious to see a reformation in this church; for I am thoroughly satisfied that there are men in this neighborhood, members of this church, who, unless they turn square about and seek God, will surely be lost. We have long enough been dabbling with sin, parleying with the devil. This we must stop if we ever gain an entrance into the kingdom of God. There must be something done to strike at the very root of this matter. We want to see a reformation in regard to dress. Our people are becoming too much like the world. Then we want to see a reformation in the tables; we want to see the unwholesome articles of food discarded forever. God cannot help you as long as these things are in the way. God has said that though our sins be as scarlet they shall be made as white as snow; but it will do no good to wish and wait for this. Go to work in earnest; agonize with God; repent of your sins; and God will come in and give you such a blessing that there will not be room to receive it.
There is many a man who would like to be a Christian. He certainly does not expect to be damned; but he does not work. If a few tears shed, a little effort to get out to meetings, a little sacrificing, would get him to Heaven, he would go there; but it takes more than that. Heaven is worth more than that. A home in the kingdom of God will cost something.
Oh, brethren, will you not make an effort to secure such a prize for yourselves and others? Oh! that the blessed God would roll a burden of souls upon your hearts. Let us be Bible Christians. Let us have Bible religion, a religion that gets hold of a man’s soul and penetrates the deep recesses of his heart. May the Lord God help us, guide us, and finally save us in his kingdom. Amen.

THE MAJESTY OF GOD,

The Almighty from Teman came forth in his might, When earth and the heavens shone radiant and bright; All nature responsive, the earth and the air Resounded his praise, for his glory was there.
He measured the earth with a glance of his eye; He thundered, and lightnings lit up the dark sky; He spoke, and the nations asunder were driven, Beheld, and the mountains in fragments were riven.
As he came down in the strength of his might, He covered himself with a garment of light; And, lo! in his hands was the hiding of power, While forth from his feet there went coals to devour.
Then trembled the mountains, the waters passed by; The deep uttered his voice and lifted on high; The sun and the moon in the heavens stood still; At the light of his arrows they went at his will.
To punish the heathen, he marched through the land, And brought forth his people with the strength of his hand; And, lo! with his horses he rode through the sea; And I trembled in view of his high majesty.
I trembled within me, that I might but rest When the wicked of earth are with troubles distressed. And although the fig tree shall quite fade away, And no fruit on the vine shall be found in that day;
The flock all cut off from the fold and the stall; Yet still on the God of my strength I will call. May we, like the prophet, on his arm rely, And ever remember our strength is on high.

A WORKER’S DREAM.

I sat down in an arm-chair, wearied with my work. My toil had been severe and protracted. Many were seeking the salvation of their souls, and many had found what they sought. The church wore an aspect of thrift and prosperity; and joy and hope and courage were the prevailing sentiments on every hand. As for myself, I was joyous in my work; my brethren were united; my sermons and exhortations were evidently telling on my hearers; my church was crowded with listeners. The whole community was more or less moved with the prevailing excitement; and, as the work went on, I had been led into exhausting labors for its promotion.
Fired with my work, I soon lost myself in a sort of half-forgetful state, though I seemed fully aware of my place and my surroundings. Suddenly a stranger entered the room, without any preliminary “tap,” or “Come in.” I saw in his face benignity, intelligence and weight of character; but, though he was passably well attired, he carried suspended about his person measures and chemical agents and implements, which gave him a very strange appearance.
The stranger came toward me, and, extending his hand, said, “How is your zeal?” I supposed, when he began his question, that the query was to be for my health, but was pleased to hear his final word; for I was quite well pleased with my zeal, and doubted not the stranger would smile when he should know its proportions. Instantly I conceived of it as a physical quantity, and putting my hand into my bosom, brought it forth, and presented it to him for inspection. He took it, and, placing it in his scale, weighed it carefully. I heard him say, “One hundred pounds!”
I could scarce suppress an audible note of satisfaction; but I caught his earnest look as he noted down the weight; and I saw at once that he had drawn no final conclusion, but was intent on pushing his investigation. He broke the mass to atoms, put it into his crucible, and put the crucible into the fire. When the mass was thoroughly fused, he took it out, and set it down to cool. It stratified in cooling, and when turned out on the hearth, exhibited a series of layers or strata; which all, at the touch of the hammer, fell apart, and were severally tested and weighed, the stranger making minute notes as the process went on. When he had finished, he presented the notes to me, and gave me a look of mingled sorrow and compassion, as, without a word except, “May God save you!” he left the room.
I opened the “notes,” and read as follows:

ANALYSIS OF THE ZEAL OF JUNIUS, A CANDIDATE FOR A CROWN OF GLORY.

Weight in mass—100 lbs.
Of this, on analysis, there prove to be—
Bigotry 10 parts
Personal ambition 23 “
Love of praise 19 “
Pride of denomination 15 “
Pride of talent 14 “
Love of authority 12 “
Love to God Pure zeal 4 “
Love to man 3 “
I had become troubled at the peculiar manner of the stranger, and especially at his parting look and words; but when I looked at the figures, my heart sunk as lead within me. I made a mental effort to dispute the correctness of the record. But I was suddenly startled into a more honest mood, by an audible sigh—almost a groan—from the stranger (who had paused in the hall), and by a sudden darkness falling upon me, by which the record became at once obscured and nearly illegible. I suddenly cried out, “Lord, save me!” and knelt down at my chair, with the paper in my hand, and my eyes fixed upon it. At once it became a mirror, and I saw my heart reflected in it. The record was true! I saw it; I felt it; I confessed it; I deplored it; and I besought God, with many tears to save me from myself; and at length, with a loud and irrepressible cry of anguish, I awoke. I had prayed in years gone by to be saved from hell, but my plea to be saved from myself, now, was immeasurably more fervent and distressful; nor did I rest or pause till the refining fire came down and went through my heart, searching, probing, melting, burning, filling all its chambers with light, and hallowing my whole heart to God.
That light and that love are in my soul to-day; and when the toils and tears of my pilgrimage shall be at an end, I expect to kneel at the feet of the Divine Alchemist, and bless him for the revelations of that day that showed me where I stood, and turned my feet into a better path.
That day was the crisis of my history: and if there shall prove to have been, in later years, some depth and earnestness in my convictions, and some searching and saving pungency in my words, I doubt not eternity will show their connection with the visit of this Searcher of hearts, at whose coming I was weighed in the balance and found wanting.—Selected.

Science and Religion.

By Townsend

The Bible, as we often hear, was not written to teach science, and it is therefore claimed that it cannot be held responsible for scientific errors. It is true that it was chiefly written to impart moral and religious truth; still it has allusions to all sorts of scientific data, and we believe it to be held responsible for scientific errors, if they exist. We think, however, that it can be shown that they do not exist, but that, on the contrary, the Bible has anticipated, by thousands of years, some of the most wonderful and marvelous discoveries of modern times.
The Bible is said by unbelievers to have made mistakes concerning facts in the science of geology, and yet Sharon Turner says: “It is now thirty-five years since my attention was turned to these considerations. It was then the fashion of science, and for a large part of the educated and inquisitive world, to rush into a disbelief of all written revelation; and several geological speculations were directed against the Bible. But I have lived to see the most hostile of these destroyed.”
Says Professor Dana: “The grand old book of God still stands, and this old earth, the more its leaves are turned over and pondered, the more will it sustain and illustrate the sacred word.”
“All along the outskirts of science,” says Professor Hitchcock, “infidelity has, from time to time, erected his imposing ramparts, and opened fire upon Christianity from a thousand batteries. But the moment the rays of truth were concentrated upon these ramparts, they melted away. The last clouds of ignorance are passing, and the thunders of infidelity are dying upon the ear. The union and harmony of Christianity and science is a sure token that the flood of unbelief and ignorance shall never more go over the world.”
Certainly, these men of science ought to know whereof they affirm.
Again, the Bible is said, by unbelievers, to have made mistakes concerning astronomy; and yet the illustrious Sir John Herschel confesses that “all human discoveries seem to be made only for the purpose of confirming more and more strongly the truths contained in the sacred Scriptures.”
Our own honored astronomer, O. M. Mitchell, pays this tribute to the language of the Bible: “It furnishes the only fitting vehicle to express the thoughts that overwhelm us when contemplating the stellar universe.”
Certainly, the word of these astronomers should pass for something. And, in general, what is true of these two physical sciences is equally true of others.
Says Lieutenant Maury, who has been eminent in several different departments: “In my investigations of natural science, I have always found that whenever I can meet with anything in the Bible, on any subject, it always affords me a firm platform on which to stand.”—Townsend.

THE WRATH TO COME.

By W. S. C.

“Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.” These are St. Paul’s words. And yet he, above almost all other men, knew the love of God, which, in his own words, “passeth knowledge.” He was so persuaded of the love of God in Christ that he believed nothing in heaven or earth could ever separate him from it. He preached the gospel of love with all the energy of his mighty powers; he believed in it as few have done. And yet he could preach “the terror of the Lord,” and persuade men to accept salvation, from his awful knowledge of the wrath of God that was surely coming on the children of disobedience. For St. Paul believed in the truthfulness as well as in the love of God. And therefore the coming wrath was an ever-present fact with him, as with all the apostles. It was blended with all their teachings, the dark back-ground to the gospel they proclaimed. “The epistles would hardly hold together,” says a recent writer, “if this element were taken out.” Paul in his epistles speaks of, or alludes to, the destiny of the wicked at least twenty-five times. In eight places he speaks of them as destined to perish. Death is used to express their destiny seven times. Nine times they are spoken of as being destroyed, once as devoured by fire, and once as burned. Among his writings we find such words as these:—
Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? but after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; who will render to every man according to his deeds; . . . unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile.” “The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.” And again he says: “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses; of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Similar passages are to be found not only throughout the writings of the apostles, but in the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
The wrath to come! Reader, it is a certainty. If you have any doubt as to this statement, take the Bible, and collect for yourself the references in the New Testament alone, to the certainty of the future destiny of the wicked. You will be forced to this conclusion, “He that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
Life and death are before you now. You may choose either. But the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience. The time is drawing near when your choice cannot be changed, when the awful words shall go forth, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still.”
God grant it may not be then said of any who now read these words, “Good were it for that man if he had never been born.” —W. S. C.

EXAMINE YOURSELVES.

By G. B. S.

“Examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.” The duty and privilege of self-examination has certainly been known by every child of God in all ages. All ought often to inquire just where they stand; and by measuring our zeal and actions by the proper standard we may know our true position. The standard, we believe, is not always the same. To illustrate: Noah doubtless weighed his zeal, perseverance, and consecration, in view of the fact that to him was committed the solemn work of warning the world of an impending flood. John the Baptist examines himself by his message,—the forerunner of Christ, preparing the way of Him whose coming to a fallen church was to be like a refiner’s fire and like fuller’s soap.
The early apostles and other Christians were doubtless most careful in self-examination, as they knew themselves to be the first builders in the gospel church, and that in their steps many were to follow, and by their rules many were to examine themselves.
And now we are called upon to examine ourselves as those to whose trust is committed the world’s last solemn message. Are we as zealous as we should be in the time of the Judgment’s session, of plagues impending, Jesus’s coming at the door, when only a few days of probation remain in which a soul may be gained or lost? Is our consecration as deep and earnest as the present glorious light God is giving will approve? And are the testimonies he has so kindly given us to aid at this important time appreciated and acted upon by us? Let us examine ourselves.
G. B. S.
Arapahoe, Neb.
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